Dr. Sara Brown

The wait is over and the second season of Amazon's Tolkien-inspired series is upon us! Already, this series has stimulated much heated discussion across various social media, with the images and trailers dividing opinion among Tolkien fans. In this discussion group, we will watch the show and discuss what we have seen, linking it to what we already know about Tolkien’s creation, and exploring the ways in which ‘The Rings of Power’ is extending the world of Middle-earth. Access to copies of The Silmarillion, The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings is desirable. Prior knowledge of the texts is also desirable, but you could manage without. Knowledge of The History of Middle-earth series and The Unfinished Tales is a bonus! [show less]

Why are the works of J.R.R. Tolkien still so relevant to us in the 21st century? In this course, we will look at some of the central themes of his novels, including Family, Home, Good vs. Evil, and Loss, exploring how Tolkien is still speaking to us almost fifty years after his death. There are no required texts for this course, however, you may find having a copy of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings very useful (any edition). Week One Lecture 1: War and Home Class 1 · Why is Tolkien still relevant? Week Two Lecture 2: Family, friendship, and fellowship Class 2 · Hope and Heroes Week Three Lecture 3: Good and Evil Class 3 · Fantasy: Recovery, Escape, and Consolation Week Four Lecture 4: Gender and Race Class 4 · Nature and the Landscape [show less]

Building upon our exploration of Garner's foundational fantasy The Weirdstone of Brisingamen, this follow-up course delves into its darker, more complex sequel, The Moon of Gomrath. Where our first course examined Garner's introduction to the magical world of Alderley Edge, this second instalment investigates his evolution as a writer through a narrative that Philip Pullman noted "presents a less conventional fantasy on every level." We'll analyse how Garner introduces the dichotomy between "High Magic" (controlled, patriarchal, rational) and "Old Magic" (wild, feminine, emotional), exploring how this tension manifests through Susan's profound connection to ancient Celtic forces and Colin's desperate attempts to save her. The course will particularly focus on Garner's emerging literary voice—more direct, stripped-down language and a less linear plot structure that would come to define his later work. Our discussions will examine how The Moon of Gomrath subverts traditional fantasy conventions through its abrupt, ambiguous ending and its refusal to provide neat resolutions. We'll explore Garner's masterful evocation of "both the wonder and terror of the mythical forces that hide behind the mundane surface of the world," and how the book rewards readers on multiple levels—offering adventure for younger audiences while presenting complex philosophical themes for adults. The course will conclude by considering how this sequel, with its "deeply melancholic and powerful story," marked Garner's transition toward more challenging literary territory, establishing themes he would explore throughout his distinguished career. Join us as we continue our journey through Garner's mythic landscape, where ancient magic awakens in modern England with consequences both thrilling and profound. [show less]

Exploring The Hobbit is a two-part series that looks beyond Tolkien’s beloved adventure to uncover the literary traditions and developing mythology that shaped it. Each module stands on its own and may be taken in any order: the first explores the children’s fantasy and fairy-story traditions that helped form The Hobbit, while the second follows the deep connections between the novel and the Silmarillion tradition Tolkien was developing at the same time. Together, they reveal The Hobbit as a work with roots reaching both backward into Tolkien’s literary influences and forward into the larger mythology of Middle-earth. [show less]

Dive into the enchanting world of Alan Garner's The Weirdstone of Brisingamen, a foundational work of British fantasy by an author described by Philip Pullman as "the most important British writer of fantasy since Tolkien." This course examines Garner's masterful integration of ancient British folklore with the real landscape of Alderley Edge in Cheshire, where two children—Colin and Susan—become the unexpected guardians of a magical jewel coveted by dark forces. Through close reading, we'll explore how Garner uses the tension between the mundane and magical to create a narrative where real English places become imbued with mythic significance, transforming ordinary landscapes into sites of extraordinary adventure and ancient power. Our discussions will uncover the deeper themes that make this work resonate with readers of all ages: the timeless battle between good and evil, the power of friendship against overwhelming odds, and the profound connection between humans and their landscapes. We'll examine how Garner's unique approach to "re-enchanting modern life by presenting it as a thin skin concealing ancient folklore" not only created a beloved children's classic but established a distinctive voice in fantasy literature that continues to influence writers today. Join us for a fantastical journey that reveals how this seemingly simple adventure story operates as a complex parable about place, identity, and the persistence of magic in the modern world. [show less]

Immerse yourself in the profound dialogues of J.R.R. Tolkien's "Athrabeth Finrod ah Andreth", a philosophical and metaphysical exploration of love, mortality, and hope within the legendarium of Middle-earth. This class invites you to delve into the intricate conversations between Finrod, an Elven king, and Andreth, a wise-woman of the race of Men. Their discourse investigates the depths of human (and Elven) existence, examining the divergent perspectives on life, death, and the overarching destiny of their worlds. Throughout this course, we will dissect the rich layers of Tolkien’s narrative, uncovering the symbolic and thematic significances that make "Athrabeth Finrod ah Andreth" a cornerstone of his mythopoeic work. Together, we will work on a comprehensive analysis of the text, contextualizing it within Tolkien's broader legendarium and drawing connections to his other works. Our aim will be to gain a deeper understanding of the philosophical questions posed by Finrod and Andreth, and how these reflect Tolkien’s own views on faith, despair, and redemption. Whether you are a seasoned Tolkien scholar or a passionate enthusiast of his world, this class offers an opportunity to engage with one of the most profound and lesser-known dialogues in Middle-earth, enriching your appreciation for Tolkien's genius and the enduring legacy of his work. [show less]

So, we’ve had a FIRST Tolkien’s Letters SPACE course – but what about SECOND Tolkien’s Letters SPACE course? And this time, we just focus on ONE letter? In 2023, we were presented with a Revised and Expanded edition of The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien, which gave us the opportunity for an even deeper dive into the life, the works, and the wonderful procrastinations of a much-loved author. Already a fan and scholar favourite, Letter 131 to Milton Waldman of Collins Publishers is now published in full and is one of the longest of the letters at around ten thousand words. The letter now also includes an attachment at the end, which is a list of individual tales with short descriptions, some of which were proposed by Tolkien for publication. Designed to persuade Waldman to publish both The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion, Letter 131 provides remarkable insight into Tolkien’s mythology, and his belief in the interdependence of these two works. In this course, we will read through this letter in great detail, making the connections between the letter and the texts, and immersing ourselves in wonder that is Tolkien’s subcreated world. [show less]

Why do fairy tales captivate us across cultures and centuries? What transforms a simple tale into something that lingers in the imagination for a lifetime? J.R.R. Tolkien grappled with such questions in his landmark essay "On Fairy-stories", and his answers revolutionized how we understand fantasy literature. This course invites you to explore the intellectual and imaginative foundations beneath The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings as we dive into one of Tolkien's most important works of literary theory. Far from a dry academic treatise, "On Fairy-stories" is a passionate defence of imagination itself, as Tolkien champions fantasy as a serious genre for adults that offers "recovery, escape, and consolation," allowing us to see our own world with fresh wonder. Tolkien challenges us to reconsider what we dismiss as mere children's entertainment and recognize fairy stories as a sophisticated art form that speaks to our deepest human needs. In this course, we will discuss all of these ideas, alongside why Tolkien believed that creating imaginary worlds is a fundamentally human act, one that echoes the divine act of creation itself. Through our reading of "On Fairy-stories", we will discover new ways of appreciating not just Tolkien's own fiction, but the entire tradition of imaginative storytelling. Come ready to think deeply, share insights, and rediscover the power of stories that begin “once upon a time.” [show less]

This four-week lecture course examines geography as a generative force in Tolkien's legendarium, treating landscape not as backdrop but as the engine of story, meaning, and feeling. Each week pairs a one-hour lecture with a discussion session, moving outward from the Shire to the furthest edges of the map while the critical lens deepens in parallel: philology and cartography in Week 1, ecocriticism in Week 2, the sublime and postcolonial critique in Week 3, and sacred geography and loss in Week 4. Tolkien's own account of his working method, given in a 1954 letter to Naomi Mitchison, provides the course's title and its guiding premise: he built the story to fit the map rather than the reverse. Participants will trace how that premise plays out across the legendarium, from the compressed histories encoded in place names such as Rivendell and Barad-dûr to the ideological work performed by the pastoral Shire, the contested racial coding of Mordor, and the eventual withdrawal of Valinor beyond any mortal map. For anyone who has ever lingered over the endpapers of a Tolkien novel tracing a river or a mountain range, this course offers a chance to read those maps properly, as texts in their own right. Along the way, familiar places take on new depth: the Shire's cosy fields turn out to carry buried questions of class and belonging, Mirkwood and Moria become studies in dread and the sublime, and the fading of Lothlórien and Valinor emerges as one of the legendarium's quietest, most powerful meditations on loss. No background in literary theory is required, only curiosity and a willingness to look again at a world many of us feel we already know well. Across four weeks, that familiar map will start to look a good deal stranger, and a good deal richer, than it first appeared. Week 1: Cartography, Naming, and the Birth of Middle-earth Week 2: The Shire and the Ecology of Home Week 3: Wilderness, Threshold, and the Sublime Week 4: Sacred Geography, Loss, and the Limits of the Map [show less]

How do you pick up the threads of an old life? Come and take a deep dive, attempting to do just that, as we look into the life of the maker of Middle-earth! This series will go on an adventure through the life of Tolkien over three months through the lens of the newly revised and expanded Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien. As the module follows the narrative presented in Tolkien's own words in his letters, the class sessions will allow for discussions of Tolkien's thoughts and problems as he raises them --- as well as the chance to read and discuss selections of his creative works along the way. Throughout the course, we will be discussing the events of Tolkien’s life in tandem with the letters and filling out a more complete picture of the man through his work, his personal life, and his creative endeavours. Names, places, and stages of history can all too easily become abstractions on a page but, in this course, we will see the way in which Tolkien's personal environment was intimately connected to his works, and how it shaped the life of the man behind the legendarium. You can join us for the whole series or just jump in a month at a time as we explore the newly revised and expanded Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien! [show less]

Tales from the Perilous Realm is a three-part series exploring three of Tolkien’s shorter works: Farmer Giles of Ham, Leaf by Niggle, and Smith of Wootton Major. Though each module stands on its own and may be taken in any order, together they offer a rich portrait of Tolkien as storyteller, philologist, and thinker beyond the world of Middle-earth. Through close reading, literary context, and critical debate, the series considers Tolkien’s distinctive approaches to comedy, allegory, fairy-story, subcreation, character, and the art of storytelling. [show less]

Join Dr. Sara Brown and Sparrow Alden as they read their way through the winners and nominees of the Andre Norton Nebula Award for Middle Grade and Young Adult Fiction. How do these books speak to their special audience? What do they reflect about changing society? How do they build or break down their readers' connection to modern culture? How do they use heritage and world mythology to bring their stories to life? Each time this module is presented, we will choose two different Norton Award novels to read, enjoy, discuss, and analyze with various critical tools. Mostly we're going to read great books and have fun working to understand them at deeper and deeper levels. [show less]

This is the landing page for Dr. Sara Brown's series on The Dark is Rising Sequence by Susan Cooper. Using the links on this page, you can explore each member of this series by going to its associated module page for more details. Note that students can jump in at any month/part of the series. There are no prerequisites. Susan Cooper’s classic fantasy series takes us into a world where the forces of the Light battle against those of the Dark, but these are also coming-of-age stories in which children are at the forefront of the conflict. Deeply rooted in the folklore of the British landscape, the narratives are often set in spaces encoded in ancient wisdom and traditions and employ, as Tolkien did in his legendarium, songs and verse that pass on those traditions. [show less]

The Fantastical Other is a two-part series exploring TJ Klune’s The House in the Cerulean Sea and its sequel, Somewhere Beyond the Sea. Each module stands on its own as a close, discussion-based reading, but together they trace Klune’s evolving exploration of belonging, otherness, family, and the struggle to build a life of dignity in the face of institutional suspicion. Through the two novels, we’ll consider how fantasy, humour, domestic life, and acts of resistance become ways of asking who gets to belong—and what it takes to protect that belonging once it has been found. [show less]

With the publication of The Fall of Númenor (November 2022) we finally have much of Tolkien’s writing on this period in the history Middle-earth drawn together in one place. This offers a unique opportunity, at a moment when the island of Númenor has come to greater public awareness via Amazon’s show ‘The Rings of Power’, to fully examine this aspect of Tolkien’s secondary world. In this course, we will explore the history of Númenor, with particular focus on important events, significant people, the geography of the island, and the evolving culture of the Númenóreans. [show less]

JRR Tolkien is one of those rare authors whose poetry is as accomplished as his prose writing. Up to this point, though, those who wished to focus primarily on Tolkien’s poetry had to access a significant number of books and online resources to do so, as they were scattered far and wide. Now, a Most Delightful Event has occurred – for the first time, a collected volume of Tolkien’s poetry is available, and it is a Tome of Significant Size! In this hybrid course, we will read and discuss a selection of these poems, enjoying them for their aesthetic appeal as well as analysing them for Tolkien’s style, use of language, and the poetic forms he employed. This is a hybrid course, in which one class per week will be a lecture and the second class will be group discussion. There are so many poems in these volumes that the intention is to spread the course over several months. If you can’t make one or more of the months, feel free to dip in and out as suits you! I am also delighted to announce that one lecture session per month will be led by the one and only James Tauber, who will focus on language and the formal elements of the poetry. Bonus Lecture from Dr. Olsen each month! We are delighted to announce that each month Dr. Corey Olsen will offer a bonus lecture on Tolkien's poetry. Each month the SPACE team will share Dr. Olsen's bonus lecture with all enrolled students that month in The Poetic Corpus of J. R. R. Tolkien series. [show less]

Transformation and the process of transformation, either physical or of the self, is a significant theme in Tolkien’s writing and appears throughout the Middle-earth legendarium. In this SPACE course, we will explore how the practice, philosophy and symbolism of alchemy resonate in the texts and provide another way to read the changes that are apparent throughout. Amongst other topics, we will look at the Music of the Ainur and Tolkien’s creation myth, the recurring symbolism of the alchemical colours: Black, White and Red, the metaphor of Gold, the nature of the One Ring, and Frodo as alchemical subject. [show less]

This course examines how J.R.R. Tolkien constructed his secondary world with the deliberate craft of a mythmaker and the precision of a master architect. Designed for participants already familiar with Tolkien's major works, the course delves into the rich philosophical, linguistic, and cultural foundations of Middle-earth. Each discussion session analyses the building blocks of Tolkien's mythological framework: his theory of subcreation, cosmological blueprints, linguistic foundations, character archetypes, moral frameworks, environmental design, and how these elements combine to create an enduring fictional universe. Participants will engage with primary texts alongside Tolkien's essays, letters, and posthumously published materials to gain deeper appreciation of how his scholarly background in philology and medieval literature informed his creative vision—illuminating how Tolkien constructed one of literature's most enduring secondary worlds. Session 1: The Mythmaker’s Vision Learning Objectives: • Understand Tolkien’s theory of subcreation and its theological underpinnings • Examine how Tolkien’s academic background influenced his creative work • Introduce key concepts that will frame the entire course Session 2: Creation Myths and Cosmology Learning Objectives: • Analyze Tolkien’s creation myth and its structural significance • Compare Tolkien’s cosmology with other world mythologies • Understand how Tolkien’s cosmological foundation shapes his entire legendarium Session 3: Languages as Cultural Foundation Learning Objectives: • Examine how Tolkien’s invented languages shape his fictional cultures • Analyse the relationship between language evolution and historical events in Middle-earth • Experience the aesthetic qualities of Tolkien’s linguistic creations Session 4: The Hero’s Journey Through Ages Learning Objectives: • Trace the evolution of heroic archetypes Session 5: Power and Corruption Learning Objectives: • Analyse the Ring as a symbol of power and its corrupting influence • Compare various characters’ responses to power and temptation • Explore Tolkien’s views on power, authority, and moral choice Session 6: Death, Immortality and Time Learning Objectives: • Understand Tolkien’s treatment of mortality as a gift rather than a curse • Explore the philosophical and theological dimensions of immortality in Middle-earth • Analyse Tolkien’s personal reflections on death through his fiction Session 7: Nature, Technology and Modernity Learning Objectives: • Examine Tolkien’s environmental themes and their contemporary relevance • Analyse the contrast between natural harmony and industrialization in Middle-earth • Connect Tolkien’s environmental concerns to his personal experiences Session 8: Legacy and Influence Learning Objectives: • Evaluate Tolkien’s impact on fantasy literature and modern mythology • Explore posthumously published works and their contribution to understanding Tolkien • Reflect on the course themes and their integration in Tolkien’s work Reading List by Session Session 1: The Mythmaker's Vision - "On Fairy Stories" (essay) - Focus on concepts of "subcreation," "recovery," "escape," and "consolation" - "Mythopoeia" (poem) - Complete - Letter #131 to Milton Waldman - Selected paragraphs on Tolkien's passion for myth and fairy-story Session 2: Creation Myths and Cosmology - "Ainulindalë" and "Valaquenta" from The Silmarillion - Complete - "The Music of the Ainur" from The Book of Lost Tales, Part One - Focusing on differences from the published Silmarillion version - Selected passages from Morgoth's Ring - "Myths Transformed" essays I and II Session 3: Languages as Cultural Foundation - Appendix F from The Lord of the Rings: "The Languages and Peoples of the Third Age" - "The Lhammas" from The Lost Road and Other Writings - Introduction and sections on Elvish languages - Elvish poems with translations: "Namárië" and "A Elbereth Gilthoniel" - Complete texts with pronunciation guides Session 4: The Hero's Journey Through Ages - "Of Túrin Turambar" from The Silmarillion - Sections describing Túrin's character and major confrontations - From The Hobbit: "Riddles in the Dark" and "The Last Stage" - Complete chapters - From The Lord of the Rings: "The Shadow of the Past" and "The Bridge of Khazad-dûm" - Complete chapters Session 5: Power and Corruption - "Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age" from The Silmarillion - "The Council of Elrond" from The Fellowship of the Ring - Discussions of the Ring's history and power - "The Mirror of Galadriel" and "The Breaking of the Fellowship" from The Fellowship of the Ring Session 6: Death, Immortality and Time - "Akallabêth" from The Silmarillion - Sections about the Númenóreans' growing fear of death - "Leaf by Niggle" - "Athrabeth Finrod ah Andreth" from Morgoth's Ring - Dialogue about mortality - Letter #153 - Sections discussing the "doom and gift" of mortality Session 7: Nature, Technology and Modernity - "Treebeard" and "The Voice of Saruman" from The Two Towers - "The Scouring of the Shire" from The Return of the King - Tolkien's foreword to the second edition of The Lord of the Rings - Letter #178 - Sections discussing industrialization Session 8: Legacy and Influence - "The Quest of Erebor" from Unfinished Tales - "The Notion Club Papers" from Sauron Defeated - Frame narrative and discussions of time and memory - "Epilogue" from The History of Middle-earth, Vol. XII: The Peoples of Middle-earth - Selections from The Road to Middle-earth by Tom Shippey - Chapter 1 "Lit. and Lang." 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Although they were never completed in his lifetime, JRR Tolkien wrote what he considered his three "Great Tales" of the Elder Days and intended them to be a significant part of his wider Silmarillion. This series each of his Great Tales in turn, namely, The Tale of Beren and Lúthien, The Children of Húrin, and The Fall of Gondolin. Some parts of these Tales can be found within the published version of The Silmarillion, but the more recently available individual books provide additional and extensive details for each story. [show less]

The Unfinished Tales of Númenor and Middle-earth is a collection of stories and essays by J.R.R. Tolkien which are filled with all the wonderful elements of story-telling that are to be found in The Silmarillion, The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings and yet, for some reason, they are less well-known and less studied. Some, like ‘Aldarion and Erendis: The Mariner’s Wife’, offer a compelling insight into the Second Age and the time of Númenor. Others, such as ‘The History of Galadriel and Celeborn’, ‘The Quest of Erebor’, or ‘The Hunt for the Ring’, shed further light on the events of the Third Age that are so familiar to readers of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. We will discuss some of these stories and place them in the context of the other Middle-earth works. Access to a copy of The Unfinished Tales is essential. Prior knowledge of the stories within is desirable, but you could read them as we go along. [show less]

"Aldarion and Erendis" is the longest sustained narrative in Unfinished Tales, and one of the strangest things Tolkien ever wrote: a domestic tragedy set against the founding centuries of Númenor, in which a king's marriage collapses not through betrayal or villainy but through two entirely reasonable people wanting incompatible lives. Aldarion's sea-longing and Erendis's growing hatred of the ships that take him are never resolved into blame; the text lets both positions stand, and lets us watch a woman construct an entire alternative household at Emerië in response to a husband who cannot stop leaving. This course reads the tale slowly and in full, treating its incompleteness not as a deficiency but as a genuine interpretive problem: what does it mean that Tolkien's most searching account of a marriage's failure was left, quite literally, unfinished? Across four weeks we will trace the story from Aldarion's restless youth through Erendis's withdrawal, and the wreck of the marriage to its long echo in their daughter Ancalimë, whose own life becomes a kind of inherited argument between her parents. Sessions will pay close attention to the tale's rhetorical set-pieces - Erendis's speech on the nature of Númenórean men, Núneth's counsel, Gil-galad's letter to Meneldur - and to the way domestic and political registers keep bleeding into each other, so that a quarrel about a husband's absences turns out to be inseparable from questions of succession law, colonial expansion, and the slow drift toward the Downfall. Students should expect discussion-driven sessions grounded in close textual work; the aim is to arrive, by the final week, at a considered collective view of what this fragment is actually doing, and why Tolkien could neither finish it nor let it go. Week 1.1 An Unfinished Thing: This opening session establishes the textual status of “Aldarion and Erendis” before any close argument begins: what kind of object we are reading, and what its incompleteness asks of us as readers. Week 1.2 The Sea-Longing: Having established the tale’s frame, this session turns to Aldarion himself: the founding of the Guild of Venturers, his refusal of a fixed household, and the widening rift with Meneldur over trees, timber, and the uses of Middle-earth. Week 2.1 The Bough of Return: This session introduces Erendis and examines the tale’s habit of conducting courtship through objects — the bough of oiolairë, a diamond, a jewel — rather than through declared feeling. Week 2.2 Two Years, Then No More: This session follows the long betrothal through its central negotiation on the path up the Meneltarma — the exchange of tree and jewel — and asks what kind of promise each party believes they are making. Week 3.1 Emerië: With the marriage established, this session examines Erendis’s withdrawal to Emerië and the household she builds there — a counter-kingdom of women, sheep, and silence. Week 3.2 “Men in Númenor are half-Elves”: This session is built around the tale’s two great pieces of sustained rhetoric: Erendis’s speech to Ancalimë on the nature of Númenórean men, and Gil-galad’s letter to Meneldur on the nature of a gathering shadow. Week 4.1 Emerwen Aranel: The final week turns to Ancalimë as the inheritor of her parents’ unresolved conflict: her flight into disguise, her courtship by Hallacar, and the legal reform Aldarion enacts in direct response to his own failed marriage. Week 4.2 What the Fragment Refuses: The closing session steps back from close reading to synthesis. [show less]

There are dragons in Tolkien’s works, of course, as well as Ents, Trolls, and Orcs, all enabling Tolkien to give shape and dimension to his world of Middle-earth. Less discussed amongst readers of the legendarium are the weird creatures that sit in the shadows – the ones designed to really make the back of your neck prickle. In this course, we will discuss these more troubling inhabitants of Middle-earth, with some close reading of the texts to guide our way. Access to copies of The Silmarillion, The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings is essential. Prior knowledge of the texts is desirable, but you could read them as we go along. [show less]